Since at least 1975, Gaymar Industries, Inc. has manufactured a thermal pump. Gaymar trademarked its thermal pump 10 a T/Pump. According to Gaymar's website, the “T/Pump effectively treats muscle and joint pain, acute lower back pain, arthritis, edema, wound and post-operative drainage and dermatological conditions. It features a dual temperature set-point scale and dependable thermistor actuated temperature controls, which allow the T/Pump to quickly set and maintain temperatures from 85° F. to 107° F. with ±2° F. at 107° F. accuracy.” Maintaining the temperatures at such rates is deemed by those of ordinary skill in the art to be a constant temperature.
Gaymar also reports, “For patient safety, dual backup thermostats prevent overheating. The T/Pump system also features timesaving controls and advanced security features such as key-operated controls; an illuminated off/on switch; leakproof connections; secure hose attachments; and a water level window.” In particular, the thermal pump system 10 has a water bath 15, a pump container 20, a heater block system 100, and a patient application device 200 as illustrated in FIG. 1.
The pump container 20, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, is divided into two compartments—a dry compartment 25 and a wet compartment 29. In FIG. 2, the dry compartment 25 and the wet compartment 29 are divided by a barrier 33. The dry compartment 25 contains a motor 24. A shaft 26, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, extends between the dry compartment 25 and the wet compartment 29 through an aperture 31 of the barrier 33. An o-ring 535 is positioned around the shaft 26 and within the aperture 31 to decrease the chance of water entering the dry compartment 25 and ensure the shaft 26 is properly positioned in the aperture 31. The wet compartment 29 contains a propeller 28, a protruding water inlet 18, and a water outlet 22. The pump container 20, with the above-identified instruments, moves the water (a) from the water bath 15, (b) into the protruding water inlet 18, (c) into the wet compartment 29, and (d) then into the water outlet conduit 22. Conduit 22 directs the water from the pump container 20 into the heater block 100.
The motor 24 is normally electrically powered. The motor 24 is any conventional motor. In one embodiment the conventional motor operates on 120 Volts—alternating current, 60 Hz, 200 Watts or equivalents thereof. In addition, the motor 24 in conjunction with the remainder of the thermal pump 10 should be able to move about or more than 9 to 14 gallons per hour.
The shaft 26 has a proximal end 35 and a distal end 37. The proximal end 35 interconnects to the motor 24. The motor 24 rotates the shaft 26 a predetermined direction. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the distal end 37 interconnects to the propeller 28 and the shaft 26 rotates the propeller 28 in the predetermined direction. Thereby the water in the water bath 15 is pulled into the wet compartment 29 through the protruding water inlet 18.
Alternative Shaft Design
An alternative version of the prior art pump container 20 is illustrated in FIG. 3 and is an electromagnetic pump system. The pump container 20 has the motor 24 and a motor shaft 26a in the dry compartment 25. The shaft's proximal end 35 interconnects to the motor shaft 26a which rotates the motor shaft 26a the predetermined direction. The motor shaft's (26a) distal end 37 has a branch, two are shown 37a, 37b. Each distal end of the branch 37a, 37b has an exterior surface 38a, 38b and those exterior surfaces are separated by a distance (x). Each branch 37a, 37b has an interior surface 39a, 39b. Each interior surface 39a, 39b has a magnetized material 40a, 40b thereon and the distance between the interior surfaces of the magnetized material 40a, 40b is the distance (y). The distance (y) is less than the distance (x).
The dry compartment 25 has a bottom end 42. The bottom end 42, and the remaining dry compartment 25, is a barrier that inhibits water from entering the dry compartment 25. The bottom end 42 has a circulation area 44 that allows the two branches 37a, 37b of the distal end 37 and the corresponding magnetized materials 40a, 40b to rotate in the predetermined direction. That means the circulation area needs an outer diameter greater than (x), and an inner diameter less than (y) to allow the magnetized branch ends rotate.
The bottom end 42 also has a female receiving area 46 for receiving a male interconnection area 48 on the top surface 49 of the wet compartment 29. The female receiving area 46 is within the inner diameter of the circulation area 44. The male interconnection area 48 and the female receiving area 46 are made of a material(s) that allows the magnetic forces of the magnetized material 40a, 40b to penetrate through.
The wet compartment 29 contains the propeller 28, a propeller shaft 26b wherein the distal end 52 of the propeller shaft 26b interconnects to the propeller 28 and the proximal end 54 of the propeller shaft 26b extends toward the motor shaft 26a in the interconnection area 48. On the propeller shaft 26b are magnetized materials 56a, 56b that correspond with the motor shaft's 26a magnetized material-40a, 40b. That way, when the motor shaft's 26a rotates the predetermined direction the propeller shaft 26b also rotates in the predetermined direction through the magnetized materials 40a to 56a and 40b to 56b. Which means the propeller 28 rotates in the predetermined direction. This embodiment allows the dry compartment 25 to remain dry without any apertures.
Pushing Water
Whichever prior art pump container 20 embodiment is used, the thermal pump 10 operates properly when the protruding water inlet 18 is immersed in the water in the water bath 15 as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 or positioned below the water line 16 in the water bath 15 and away from water bath 15 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Those positions allow the protruding water inlet 18 to allegedly self-prime. In both embodiments, the protruding water inlet 18 protrudes from the pump container 20. The water is pulled into the wet compartment 29 by the rotation of the propeller 28. The propeller's rotation pushes the water into the conduit 22 toward the heater block 100.
Heater Block
The heater block 100 can be within the dry compartment 25 or not. The heater block 100 contains conventional heating elements 102 interconnected to a conventional thermal control system 106 as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. The thermal control system 106 can be a manual thermostat; proportional, integral, derivative (PID) temperature controller; a thermistor actuated temperature controls; a digital thermostat; or equivalents thereof that control the amount of electricity that runs through the heating elements 102 to obtain the desired and/or programmed temperature. As previously stated, the heater block 100 warms the water to a desired temperature and once the water reaches that desired temperature the water's temperature, for all intents and purposes, remains constant.
The heater block 100 can also have a dual temperature set-point scale 104 interconnected to the thermal control system 106. The temperature set-point scale 104 allows the thermal pump 10 to be quickly set and maintain temperatures from 85° F. to 107° F. with ±2° F. at 107° F. accuracy. The set-point scale is positioned on one side of line 190 because those elements on that side of line 190 are controllable by the operator without dismantling the thermal pump 10. The heater block 100 can also have a timing mechanism 177 positioned between the thermal control system 106 and the heating elements 102 as illustrated in FIG. 5. The timing mechanism 177 turns the heating elements 102 off after a predetermined time frame.
Another feature of the heater block 100 in conjunction with the thermal energy pump 10 is that there is a tip sensor/alarm 110. The tip alarm 110 transmits a signal 111 when the tip alarm 110 senses the thermal device 10 has been tipped. That signal 111 is transmitted to the thermal control system 106, or equivalent thereof, to shut the heating elements 102 off. That way, the heating elements 102 do not melt the thermal device 10.
Patient Application
From the heater block 100, the heated water is directed into a conduit 202. Conduit 202 directs the heated water into the patient application device 200. The patient application device 200 can be a cushion, a blanket, a wrap-around unit, a tub, drip applicator, and/or body core adjusting device. Examples of such devices 200 include and are not limited to Gaymar's T-pads, convective products, and conductive products. The device 200 can re-circulate the water into the water bath 15 through conduit 204 as illustrated in FIG. 1 or alternatively release the water into the environment.